RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1915, Page 6

RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN.

ADVANCE OF ENEMY. GERMANY'S TERRIBLE LOSSES. FORMIDABLE OBSTACLES. Tlie Russian campaign is dealt with in a series of valuable articles by the correspondent of the Loudon Morning I'ost. Writing from ,I'etrograd on dune 20, he savs:

The Gorman battering ram, with General Maokonsen's phalanx at its head, has forced it's way eastwards with a speed far in excess of what was anticipated hero, and the Russians have retired fighting. During the Russian retirement, an altogether exceptional incident of modern warfare occurred. Xear Lubaczow, on the upper reaches of the l.ubaczowl:a liner, Russian cavalry charged the advancing Germans.and cut to pieces a whole regiment. The charge caused panic iu the German division to which the regiment—tlie 01st—belonged, and delayed the German advance for a considerable period. On the other sections of the Russian European front the Germans continue their attacks, but achieve no noteworthy success. Another gas attempt, once more on the famous Borjimoff section, accompanied by heavy cannonading, again failed. Over a fourmile section, about Cumin, a dense cloud of gas was carried by the evening breeze towards the Russian lines, and in the night the Germans attacked, ily midnight they had been llnng back.

RAIN IMPEDING THE ENEMY. The astonishing and altogether exceptional weather of the present, month of dune, ■which has been one persistent rain over a great port, of Russia, and also in Calicia, has had effects that are much in favor of the Russian defence. The extensive bogs which abound in the region now reached in the Galieian fighting' and the swollen rivers enormously increase the discomforts, especially of the attacking armies. Many rivers, which at this season should be inconsiderate streams, are formidable obstacles owing to the wide extent, of the marshy ground on either bank of the overflowed waters. After a winter of unusually heavy snowfalls this prevalence of torrential rains, accompanied by quite cold weather, is doubly abnormal. NOT DEFEATED ANYWHERE.

The enemy is penetrating deeper and deeper into Galicia, and, in fact, is now nearly 100 miles oast of positions whore the Russians first mot the onslaught from Cracow. Tho Russian armies are recoiling like a. spring upon itself. At every stand they make, they inflict demoralising losses upon the enemy, who are compelled to keep moving over a continually-increasing, stead ily-weaken-ing line of communications which dribble away the strength of armies. The whole area now forming tho battlefield has been swept by the tide of war thrice already, and in the Grand Duke's bulletin to-day we read names which are very familiar already nine months ago as the scenes of early lighting, which resulted in the Russian conquest of Galicia. Russia has suffered a series of reverses, but she has not been defeated anywhere.

GERMAN INTRIGUES TX RUSSIA. It is considered here that the German hopes of annihilating the Russian liehl armies are already impossible of realisation. Other German hopes freely expressed 'have suffered a striking disillusionment, Germany began this war believing that she had the Russia of Manchuria to deal with. She reckoned confidently on a Polish rising against Russia, and still more on another Russian revolution. Indeed, Germany has ■spent iinTch money and more pains to produce a repetition of what happened in Russia ten years ago. Her .success is somewhat striking, but in the opposite sense. Rumblings that might be mistaken by the Germans and their particular friends for heralds of revolution arc again being heard iu Russia, but they indicate a movement which is centred on a determination to annihilate Germanism. Riots have occurred again in the heart of Russia, in Moscow, '-he -mother of cities.'' ENEMY MUST BE OVERTHROWN.

Again in Moscow, men prominent ill the local government are holding a session. among them some of the very men whose names are memorable in connection with the Zemstvo anil municipal congresses which preceded the birth of the Duma. Wo know now whose money, collected in all quarters of the world, financed that outbreak of folly which followed the deliberations of (he local wise men meeting in Moscow to demand a change in the form of government for all the Russians. Many of the same svmptonis appear again 10-dav, but how different the fundamental principles. T ou y r . a vs ago these men were thundering against the defects of the Governmental system. To-day they might, be described, say, by German pressmen, as doing the same. Rut the discontent is now concentrated solely upon certain influences still at work in Russia to favor the Germans. The Russian people are unanimous in demanding the final overthrow of everything that even remotely might assist the Germans iu their campaigns of war or pea?.; against the Russian nation.

The practical measures advocated are solely such as to strengthen the hands of the Government for the purpose of defeating the forces of Germanism in whatever form they exist and wherever found. Russia is gathering strength from the German successes in Galicia.

THE MORAL EFFECT, Wnling on another occasion, (lie correspondent says:— The Ccrinan calcu'aiion that tlie mural effect of their splendid enterprise in Calicia would cow ilie Russian nation, has ludicrously miscarried, like most of Germany's calculations. Germany, since she became the German Kmpire, has been a rank materialist. and based her calculations for this war nil a very intimate acqua.in/'liec with the \\'c,r-! features of human nature, which she bad been at coumil'Tablc pains and ci.st carefully to fo.-ier in many nations. Hut after all it is the spirit that wins always and everywhere. Russia, at any rale, will snrei.v day bless hir present enemies, for i,ever, even al (lie opening of the War, were tie' Russians so welded into unity as to-day. The German successes haw solidified Russian enthusiasm into a still lucre deadly dclerniinaUon.